Suprise, suprise! Empire Merchants North ( the former Colony Liquors ) has decided to move to Greene County instead of staying in Ulster County. All of the existing employees will be offered jobs at the brand new, UNION BUILT facility north of Kingston. The Greene County IDA put the $27 million dollar deal together that will preserve the liquor employees jobs and create prevailing wage construction jobs. What a win-win for everyone involved!
The Ulster IDA just didn't get it. They thought that cutting the baby in half was the answer. Word is that the powers that be at Empire Distributors lost all respect for our Ulster IDA and how they handled the situation. They could not believe that the Ulster Agency charged with creating and PRESERVING jobs thought that screwing the Ulster construction trades was the solution. Unfortunately, it had nothing AT ALL to do with the decision.
Our Ulster IDA not only lost the jobs (here) for the liquor workers ( they still have jobs there ) , they sold out the entire Ulster County construction workforce for nothing. You remember, they THOUGHT they had to cancel out the prevailing wage policy so that the liquor workers wouldn't lose their jobs. They were sadly mistaken. Now Greene County has all of the jobs.....the permanent jobs and the prevailing wage construction jobs. Nice job, Greene County!
Our IDA thought the local construction workers concerns didn't matter and that their jobs were throw away jobs. They aborted the prevailing wage policy despite proof that using prevailing wages still kept the project within the budget. Our IDA was a bit confused toward the end. They thought it was some sort of a game. The IDA vs the Local construction worker - and guess what? The construction workers lost the prevailing rate and the liquor workers kept their jobs anyway - just as was predicted. Their only hardship is that they may have to drive a half an hour to work. Which is best described by todays commuting standards as "working close to home".
Oh,... and yes, thank you Elliot Auerbach for your vote against the prevailing rate and the building trades. Wait until YOU need a job.
Steve Finkle, director of Kingston's Office for Economic Development, said that people now employed in Kingston will still have the opportunity to work at the Greene County site. Seems like the only thing OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LEADERS can "develop" around here are BIG ASSES - from sitting on them.
12 comments:
Figures. We have the most assinine people in charge around here. That bald one at UCDC is just as big of a blowhard as the rest of them. They couldn't attract snow cone customers in the dersert. I'm moving to Greene county.
Dont forget Ron Marquette, former 'artistic director' of UPAC, now Chairman of UCDC's board of directors. ....and don't forget Mike Berardi, salesman for kosco, who is the ida's chairman of the board.
Two men who have zero qualifications to be in their leadership roles.
Nice going Mr. Finkle and the rest of the IDA you really did a hell of a job on this one. What's next from you morons!!!!
Way to go Elliot Aurobach another company leaves Ulster County because you would not listen to union leaders.
Sottile lost the 200 jobs because of his arrogance. Now the working families in Kingston will have to deal with a double digit tax increase.
Political hacks who can't relate to the common people, all of them. Arrogant and out of touch. Whoever the hell appointed these people should be tested for drugs.
Sottile and Finkle should be run out of town on a rail. They lied to the tax payers and to management of Empire Liquors, they were smart enough to see through the lies and left. Us working families are left to pick up the pieces.
Finkle gets paid well over $100,000 from the city does anyone know that?
Two things. First, I hope labor really comes out for Quigley. I don't think Hein was been as friendly to labor though. Where was he when the IDA went after the union workers?
Second, I hope the union is gearing up for Sottile in 2011. Maybe Cahill will run again and we can get rid of Sottile once and for all.
It seems that the ULSTER COUNTY IDA acronym really stands for I Did it Against the local taxpayer.
Who cares about the Comptroller any way tell him to give me his money, he can hire people to help him, I need to go and work two jobs to pay my bills. What a big shot.
i was shocked to see that Sottile was at the new ground breaking for Empire Merchants in Greene County.
Did anyone else catch this?
http://www.greeneida.com/index.php?id=5
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